Plasmonics is a highly dynamic field, and a number of researchers and scientists from other disciplines have become involved in it. This book presents the most widely employed approaches to plasmonics and the numerous applications associated with it. There are several underlying elements in plasmonics research. Advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have made possible the fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures, deposition of thin films, and development of highly sensitive optical characterization techniques. The different approaches to nanostructuring metals have led to a wealth of interesting optical properties and functionality via manipulation of the plasmon modes that such structures support. The sensitivity of plasmonic structures to the changes in their local dielectric environment has led to the development of new sensing strategies and systems for chemical analysis and identification. The book discusses all of these aspects.

By 2030, diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of premature mortality worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. The application of nanotechnology in medicine holds many possible advantages and over the past few decades, there has been huge progress in its utilisation. Nanotechnology is widely applied for cancer treatment and other diseases but, the use of it for diabetes treatment is now starting to flourish. This book presents the latest developments of nanomedicine for the treatment of different facets of diabetes and related disorders. With a multidisciplinary approach, chapters focus on previously overlooked topics in glucose sensing, insulin delivery and secretion, bioimaging and transplantation of islets. This book is suitable for researchers of nanomedicine, nanotechnology and diabetes looking into the emergence of new approaches for the treatment of this life-threatening disease.

Functionalized Nanomaterials for the Management of Microbial Infection: A Strategy to Address Microbial Drug Resistance introduces the reader to the newly developing use of nanotechnology to combat microbial drug resistance. Excessive use of antibiotics and antimicrobial agents has produced an inexorable rise in antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens. The use of nanotechnology is currently the most promising strategy to overcome microbial drug resistance. This book shows how, due to their small size, nanoparticles can surmount existing drug resistance mechanisms, including decreased uptake and increased efflux of the drug from the microbial cell, biofilm formation, and intracellular bacteria. In particular, chapters cover the use of nanoparticles to raise intracellular antimicrobial levels, thus directly targeting sites of infection and packaging multiple antimicrobial agents onto a single nanoparticle.